Is The Wall crumbling brick by brick? Well, the answer can be yes or no. But the edifice is shaking for sure, and needs some urgent maintenance work. Otherwise, we may soon see yet another member of the ‘Fab’ club slip into the sunset. And that may not be the best thing for Indian cricket to happen. When Rahul Dravid stunned the cricketing world by giving up Indian captaincy last year in September, the reason he gave for his startling decision was that he wanted to concentrate on his batting which had suffered during the time he was leading the side. More than a year later, it is clear that the move has not helped him at all. In fact, his batting has declined further (see stats). The Kotla Test against Australia which ended on Sunday only reinforced the notion that there was something seriously wrong with his form. More than the lack of runs in the Test—Dravid made 11 & 11—it was the way he got out that gave substance to misgivings. In the first innings, he chased a very wide delivery going further away to be caught in the slips.In the second, he tried an ill-advised off-drive of a Brett Lee inswinger but could only edge it onto the stumps. These were dismissals one would seldom associate with Dravid, always the epitome of technical correctness and unwavering focus. Clearly, new problems have crept into his game and he has not been able to counter them sufficiently well. Dravid’s loss of touch is strange because in cricket it’s generally believed that technically sound batsmen have a better chance of coming out of form slumps than those who rely on individual skill and flair. But Dravid’s blues have stretched a bit too far for his own comfort. But it clearly has more than just a technical facet to it. When Dravid relinquished captaincy, it was well understood that the decision was a direct fallout of the stress he was carrying. To add to his woes, this unseemly debate over the place of seniors in the team came at a very inopportune time for him, when he was fighting his own battles. Coming to his stats, while a player of Dravid’s stature and class can never be judged by mere numbers, figures do tell a story which cannot be ignored—his average has dipped to its lowest since December 2002 while his last 10 Tests have yielded 472 runs at an average of just 29.50. Dravid looked like coming out of his slump at least twice recently—once in Colombo with a fighting 68 in the second innings of the third Test against Sri Lanka and then in the first Test of the ongoing series against Australia at Bangalore, when he was unlucky to be adjudged leg-before off Shane Watson at 51. However, the failures at Mohali and Delhi have brought the focus back on him. With Sourav Ganguly retiring after the Nagpur Test, India cannot afford to lose another senior batsmen immediately. India still need his presence in the middle and will be well served if the Bangalorean regains his touch. For that to happen, one of the things which could be tried is to send him at No. 5 for a while. VVS Laxman, who is enjoying a purple patch, can bat at No. 3, a position he is not unfamiliar with. Coming down the order may give Dravid some breathing space and help him bat with more freedom and less stress. THE WALL’S BATTING BLUES His average of 32.95 this year is his poorest in a calendar year. Dravid's career batting average of 53.14 is his worst since December 2002 (53.46). After his poor performance in the present series against Australia (117 in five innings at 23.40), his home average fell below 50 (48.81) for the first time.